-- it doesn'tism mean anything. host: any report about americans fearing terror over crime. a time. over when it happen? host: it did not. that is not unusual, because it really has not been advertised. the fact is that terrorism still has this look on our imagination, because it gets disproportionate attention.

what is the difference between terrorism and someone that has cancer? their book that, but the person who gets killed by terrorism is execution. that is what makes the difference. host: have to leave it there. the house is in session. and the minority whip each, to five minutes but in no event shall the debate continue beyond 11:50 a.m. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. poe, for five minutes. mr. poe: mr. speaker, on january 31, kaufman county, texas, assistant district attorney mark hasy had just pulled into the work at the courthouse. he got into his car and walked through the parking lot like he did every day. but mark never made it to the courthouse to prosecute any other cases. he was ambushed, sprayed with bullets and murdered in the parking lot. officials are still really uncertain who murdered him, and then on march 19, just after

supper time in colorado, the top prison chief, tom clements, heard a knock at his door. when he opened the door he was shot point blank and he died in the doorway of his own home. his suspected killer, able, resurfaced in texas weeks later and died in a shootout with law enforcement officers in north texas because he promised that he would not ever return to prison. 1 days later, back in kaufman, texas, mike mcclellen and his wife, cynthia, was sitting at home when their home was invaded by intruders. mike was shot 20 times and his wife, cynthia, was also murdered. assaulted, murdered in their own home. the district attorney, mike mcclellen, had vowed to bring the scum to justice who killed his colleague, mark hassey.

three fallen law enforcement officers and one family member. and just yesterday, a woman in jail in texas is accused of trying to hire a hitman to kill assistant district attorney rob pryor and also injure the district attorney in montgomery county, texas, to mimic the kaufman county shootings. these attacks, mr. speaker, are attacks on the symbol of the rule of law in the united states. these attacks also hit home for me and others of us who have worked at the courthouse. i spent part of my life as a prosecutor and a judge in texas. bad guys come to the courthouse charged with everything from stealing to killing, and i, like many others, had threats on several occasions but fortunate for me law enforcement officers in houston, texas, made sure those threats were never carried out. but as we've seen this year, sometimes the bad guys are successful in attacking and

killing folks that work at the courthouse. law enforcement officials, prosecutors and judges do the work that many people just won't do or will do. they deliver justice to criminals knowing they face the threat of retaliation when they administrator justice. hese individuals -- administer justice. these individuals enforce the law. that's why i'm introducing the line of duty act. senator cornyn has introduced a similar bill in the senate. this bill would beef up protections for prosecutors and judges who are in danger of retaliation and who are threatened with intimidation. it boosts the punishment for killing these officials or their family members or conspiring to commit these crimes against these individuals. and the legislation also allows them to carry firearms on federal facilities and federal courts and other jurisdictions for their own self-protection. courthouse prosecutors and judges risk their lives every

day to administer justice and create order in our communities. this legislation promotes security for those that secure justice for the rest of us, and that's just the way it is. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from minnesota, mr. ellison, for five minutes. mr. ellison: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i want to come to the house floor today to address what i think is a serious issue facing all americans without regard to race, color, party, region of the country or anything like that. the issue that i want to talk about is trying to prevent patient deaths. we back in 1998, the statistics show that about 98,000 people a year died from preventable deaths, medical deaths, preventable deaths in hospitals and things like that. that number has grown.

we're now at about 200,000 people a year who die in hospitals because of preventable death. that's about 38 -- 3,800 people every week. basically the equivalent of two jumbo jets crashing and killing the passengers. this is something we as a nation need to step forward and do something about. it's something that's in our power to do something about, and the thing that we need to do to prevent these preventable deaths is to coordinate. it's possible to eliminate these deaths. it's possible through a series of measures to even eliminate them completely. but what we need to do is look at this problem, first of all, in a holistic way. there is not one magical thing that will stop them but a series of small things that are going to prevent and eradicate these preventable deaths. the first thing i think we need to do is to come together to figure out how to connect our

technology, people and ideas and figure out how to cooperate and most importantly make a commitment to prevent these deaths from happening. 10 years ago there was a young woman named lenora alexander, she was a healthy 11-year-old irl and she underwent elective surgery to correct something at a prestigious hospital. the awoke at 2:00 a.m., victim of respiratory arrest, caused by a drug that was intended to ease her pain. but if she had been monitored continuously after the surgery, hospital staff and lenora may have been alerted and leah would probably have been rescued. but there are other sort of

preventable deaths that deals with washing hands, transferring of infections when hands aren't washed properly. monitoring has already picked up by lenora's tragic situation. her situation is not unique, unfortunately. a summit came together to figure out what can we do to solve the problem going back to the coordination, cooperation that i spoke about earlier. the fact is at this patient safety, technology and science summit, people, trained professionals came together to figure out what we can do together, yes, technology, but also more safe procedures to protect and eliminate and save people from preventable deaths. this can happen -- these preventable deaths don't have to be -- they are tragedies for the people that suffer them. imagine going into the hospital for a routine procedure that

you don't think will be serious only to get that tragic news that your loved one has passed away during the course of it. so today i want to bring attention, mr. speaker, to this situation that is within our power to eliminate and stop. i want to salute the people who tended the patient safety, science and technology summit who came together to try to bring real attention to this problem. a good friend of mine brought this issue to my attention. he's a person who's given a lot of time and attention to try to figure out how we can save families from tragic incidents such as what happened to lenora's family and, of course, everyone has something they can do to prevent these serious problems. at the end of the day, our goal should be to make zero the number of death in hospitals, make preventable deaths something of the past and to bring americans to attention so

that we can bring our technology, our procedures, our energy and our love and attention to trying to make sure that no family suffers these tragic incidents anymore. 200,000 deaths is too many. one is too many. zero should be our goal. let's stop preventable hospital deaths. thank you very much. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from kentucky, mr. rogers, for five minutes. mr. speaker, today marks a critical turning point in our country's battle against prescription drug abuse. what c.d.c. has called a national epidemic, it takes more american lives than car crashes. unless the food and drug administration takes action

today, generic drug makers will be free to dump cheap painkillers, lacking abuse deterrence, back into u.s. markets. pills that can be easily crushed and which are to be blamed for tens of thousands of emergency room visits and accidental overdose deaths in the last decade. two weeks ago at the national prescription drug abuse summit, the f.d.a. commissioner acknowledged, quote, the many individuals and their families whose lives have been shattered by prescription abuse, misuse and addiction, end quote. she also affirmed that f.d.a. has the authority to keep these crushable pills off the market when abuse deterrent technologies are available.

t's time to execute that authority, f.d.a., on behalf of thousands of families in my region and all over this country, keep crushable pills off our streets and out of our children's hands. mr. speaker, thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from oregon, mr. blumenauer, or five minutes. mr. blumenauer: thank you, mr. speaker. in the aftermath of the 10th anniversary of the war in iraq this spring, those of us who oppose the war as those who thought it justified are all sorting through what happened. more important, we're united in our support for our men and women in uniform who fought that heroic effort regardless of our feelings about the war's justification or history's verdict. we have an obligation to all those who served to smooth

their re-entry and to minimize the price they paid for that war. but there's another group who put themselves at risk for the wars in iraq and afghanistan. i'm speaking of the iraqi and afghan nationals who worked with the american soldiers, thousands who were shoulder to shoulder with our troops, often in the most difficult of circumstances. they provided services as guides and interpreters that literally made the difference as to whether our soldiers lived or died. i've talked to returning service people who made clear how important it was that they had that help and how grateful they were to iraqi and afghans who played those vital roles. i've worked with some of those soldiers to try to bring to america to safety some of those people who worked with them.

there's another group who knows about their contributions -- the hostile elements still on the ground and afghanistan. these are people with long memories who have vowed to take retribution for what they felt was an act of betrayal. countless foreign nationals who've worked with us have paid the price. they, along with members of their family, have been attacked, kidnapped and killed. we have an obligation to get them out of harm's way. that is why i worked with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and both sides of the capitol in 2007 to create a special immigration visa program to enable them to come safely to the united states. and it's a program not just for iraqis, but starting in 2008 it was extended to afghans as well, anyone who faced an ongoing and serious threat as a result of their employment for

and on behalf of the united states government. these two programs have enabled us to save the lives of these brave iraqis and afghans who often were in the heaviest fighting and whose contributions were most critical. but we're facing two problems. one, the programs are set to expire for iraq, september 30, for afghanistan, one year later. even more critical, we need to make sure that the special immigration visas, the s.i.d.'s, that have already been authorized, are utilized. the processing has been incredibly slow. recently, joined by 18 of my colleagues on both parties, including six of our colleagues who were veterans of iraq and afghanistan, we urge the administration to work with us, to extend and reform the visa program.

with all the background checks, provide the transparency to applicants so they know where they are at, and address the adverse decisions by a chief of missions so people have a chance to correct the record. make no mistake, this is urgent. just yesterday on the front page of the "new york times" was the story about an afghan interpreter who has been working with us in afghanistan for over a decade, in over 300 missions in highly dangerous, special operation assignments over the course of the last three years, the taliban has attempted to kill solomon three times, but despite his exemplary service and the extreme threat to his life, that visa we created is not functioning for him. after two years he remains in limbo with no visa, and a program set to expire. only 22% of the iraq visas and 12% of the afghans have within

issue -- issued. --- been issued. last year the post report over 5,000 documentary complete afghan applications remained in a log. no doubt the past performance is abysmal but we have an obligation to extend and reform the programs to make sure we give the resources necessary to deal with the understandable paperwork involved. this bipartisan issue offers members of congress and the administration the chance to work together to save lives and ensure the safety of our troops currently serving in harm's way, and future missions abroad. otherwise, no one in their right mind is ever going to cooperate with u.s. forces under these circumstances. the speaker pro tempore: mr. shimkus for five minutes. mr. shimkus: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without

objection. mr. shimkus: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today to address the department of energy's budget proposal on nuclear waste. it's a joke. but as a representative of nuclear electricity consumers and taxpayers, i don't find it funny. d.o.e. assistant secretary says we should, quote, cut our losses and move on from yucca mountain. we spent $15 billion on yucca mountain, but this administration says we should just give up and go try somewhere else. hoping some other state will be a willing host. the deal the budget proposes spending $5.6 billion over the next 10 years to start over, and maybe, just maybe, have a permanent repository by 2048. the details provided for this new plan are scant to say the least. 14 pages. d.o.e. proposes to abandon $15 billion and 30 years of work, start over, create a new government entity to be

responsible and find willing states to host two interim storage facilities and repository all within 14 pages. i consider it brainstorming not a plan. certainly not something that justifies $5.6 billion. in addition, d.o.e. has repeatedly stated the need for congress to pass legislation, but has yet to propose any. that shows the administration is not trying to solve this problem, just avoid it by pointing the finger at congress. nuclear electricity consumers pay for a permanent repository for spent nuclear fuel. what will they get after spending another 10 years and $5.6 billion? a pilot interim storage facility with limited capacity. a pilot facility. the same technology that will be used at the interim storage facility is currently used at 65 locations, and as for transportation, the u.s. nuclear industry has completed 3,000 shipments of used nuclear fuel,

over $1.7 million miles of road and railroad. what's the purpose of having a pilot facility? the only other pilot facility is the waste isolation pilot plant in new mexico. i have been there and it's an impressive facility. but the pilot project became a permanent facility with a 10,000-year environmental standard. given that backdrop, the d.o.e. really think some unsuspecting state will fall for the idea that a pilot interim storage facility will truly be temporary? but $5.6 billion doesn't begin to address the real costs hidden in this proposal. instead of merely paying for a repository, nuclear electricityon sumers-- electricity consumers will have to write off the yucca mountain site where we spent $15 billion. d.o.e.'s previous estimates for transportation were $19 billion. if d.o.e. is now going to have to transport it twice, once to an interim storage and later to a repository, great payers will

e on the hook for an extra $19 billion. all this plus the $5.6 billion in the budget equals $39.6 billion. and that's just the bill for nuclear electricity consumers. taxpayers will continue to pay for the liability costs of d.o.e.'s failure to provide disposal. that cost is $2.6 billion so far and projected to be $20 billion by 2020. the government accounting office tells us that it's faster to finish yucca mountain than to start over with interim storage. yet this administration prefers to start over, disregarding the cost to the taxpayer. electricity consumers and taxpayers shouldn't have to pay for president obama's campaign promise to harry reid, certainly not $39.6 worth. mr. speaker, d.o.e.'s proposal is a boon doingle at a time when our citizens -- boondoggle at a time when our citizens can least afford it. i am not laughing. as we learn of the tragic events of yesterday, we are reminded there is evil in the world, we pray for boston, our country,

and the world. but the business of the republic must go on. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentlelady from texas, ms. jackson lee, for ive minutes. ms. jackson lee: i ask the speaker to address the house, unanimous consent. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. jackson lee: mr. speaker, i se to reflect again on yesterday's tragic and obviously painful event. i think it's important for our colleagues and certainly for those we represent across america to recognize that our attention on those issues are equal to the pain and the devastation that they represent. it is important to again offer sympathy to those who lost their

loved ones, to those who still are under the care of the medical team in boston, to the city of boston, state of massachusetts, mayor and above above. my colleagues from the state of massachusetts and certainly the people there. you have our prayers and again our commitment to never cease until the perpetrator or perpetrators are brought to justice. in saying that, i believe it's important that we proceed in discussion that will also move this country forward. that is to finally get to a point of passing a budget that eliminates, takes away, never to be seen again this horrific sequester that the miles per hour people do not deserve. -- that the american people do not deserve. let me congratulate the president on having a humane

budget, a budget that considers the needs of americans. it is outstanding that he has offered a universal pre-k, having seen the tears of grown men when the sequester came through and their child was eliminated from head start. grown men, parents, crying at their head start center. everywhere i go in my district, people who are in charge of head start, literally in pain about those they have to eliminate from those positions. because those families don't have the resources for private childcare. so i congratulate the president on his astuteness in recognizes the importance of that, and recognizing to not stray away from the necessities of job creation and putting in place major transportation jobs and infrastructure jobs, passenger rail which i'm so passionate about, surface transportation, and most important one, rebuilding your neighborhoods and communities and cities where

jobs are in short demand and where the infrastructure and the city is crumbling. i want to congratulate the president for his saving of medicaid and ensuring that seniors who are in nursing homes will be protected, but more importantly those without health insurance will have the ability under the affordable care act for the insurer to have that. i serve as well, mr. speaker, on the homeland security committee. i think it is important to say and be honest that the sequester is devastating to america's homeland security. it is good to have a budget that respects those needs, but it is important to tell the truth. we are desperate when it comes to recognizing the needs of our border patrol agents and the numbers even at 21,000 that we may need to increase. that there are border parole agents being removed from the frontlines in order to process those individuals who come

across the border. when they do that, they remove the coverage from the frontlines on the border, dealing with those who are in those detention centers. we have to recognize that transportation security, as much as one might say how many officers they have, in the sequester we'll be standing in long lines and it is about to come. that is the frontlines of securing this nation along with many, many other assets of the u.s. department of homeland security. we are asked the question about the securing of the homeland. we are feeling the pain along with our colleagues of the trangdies -- tradge is that have occurred -- tragedies that have occurred. bombing in time's square. the speaker of the house needs to immediately appoint budget conferees to move us forward, the conference, and to get rid of the sequester was not the

fault of the american people. our deficit is going down. we need to determine what revenue that we can increase in order to pay our bills, provide for the basic necessities of this nation. not only is the tragedy in boston one of human life, but it is a disaster that will require federal emergency management aid just as our continued friends in the southeast and northeast are still suffering from hurricane sandy and the atrocity of this house cannot provide them with resources for 65 days. i believe that it is time for the american people to know that we do care. in order to care you need to have. budget conferees to go through the budget process and begin to pass elements of the president's budget that speaks to the heart and mind, mr. speaker, of the needs of the american people. i conclude by offering, again, my deepest sympathy and promise to those who suffer that america and its congress must stand up and respond to your needs. i am ready to do so as my

colleagues are. we should do it now. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from nevada, mr. heck, for five minutes. without objection. mr. heck: mr. speaker, i come to the floor today to announce that this week, april 14, is national osteopatic medicine week. it celebrates the celebration of more than 100 physicians of the united states to the health of our communities. there are many doctors in the house of representatives, but at the overwhelm osteopatic physician, i feel the need to raise the awareness. the practice of osteopathic medicine was founded in 1874. over the past 139 years, osteopathic physicians have made signature contributions to the united states health care system. the doctors have treated presidents and olympic oothleets, contributed to the fight against aids, and

continues to be involved in the frontlines of our health care system today. dr. martin la convenient, immediate past president of the association, was part of the medical team at the boston marathon and was pressed into immediate care in the wake of yesterday's tragedy. we take a holistic approach to medicine that focuses on the health of the whole person and we are committed to improving the health of the communities we serve through education and awareness, as well as delivering quality health care services. in light of the contributions made by osteopathic physicians to the health of our nation and this being their national week of recognition, i have introduced house resolution 159, which calls on the house to support the designation of national osteopathic medicine week. i urge my colleagues to join me in recognizes the field of osteopathic medicine and supporting the designation of national osteopathic medicine week. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentlelady from alabama, miss sewell --

--s sewe ms. sewell: i join americans across this nation and world in celebrating dr. martin luther king's letter from a birmingham jail. after being arrested on april 12, 1963 dr. king came across an article in the birmingham news, entitled white clergymen urge local negros to withdraw from demonstration. clergymen who authored that article were very critical of dr. king and the others who demonstrated, they called the demonstrations untimely and unwise. . he penned a letter upon his release. the letter became one of the most preeminent documents of the civil rights era. so today i join the voices around the world as i read in part from this beautifully written masterful document, letter from a birmingham jail

by dr. martin luther king jr. 16, april, 1963. my dear fellow clergy. while confined here in the birmingham county jail, i came across your recent statement calling my present activities unwise and untimely. seldom do i pause to answer criticisms of my work and ideas. if i sought to answer all the criticisms across my desk, my secretary would have little time for anything else. but since i feel that you are men of genuine good will and your criticisms are sincere and heart felt, i want to try to answer your statement in what i hope will be a patient and reasonable term. i think i should indicate why i am here in birmingham. since you have influenced the view that i am somehow an outsider coming in. i am in birmingham because injustice is here.

moreover, i am cognizant of the interdependency of all communities and states. i cannot sit idly by in atlanta and not be concerned about what's happening in birmingham. injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. we are caught in a network of neutrality, tied in a single garment of destiny. whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. never again can we afford to live with a narrow provential outside agitator idea. anyone who lives in the united states of america can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds. we know through painful experience that freedom is neither -- never voluntarily given by the oppressor. it must be demanded by the oppressed. i have yet to engage in a direct campaign that was not well timed in the view of those who have not suffered unduly

for the disease of segregation. for years now, i have heard the word wait. it rings in the ear of every piercing. it almost means never. we must hear what one jurist said, justice too long delayed is justice denied. oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. the yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself and it is this that happened to the american negro. the negro has had many pint up frustrations and resentments and must release them, so let him march. let him make a prayerful pilgrimage to the city hall. let him go on freedom rides and try to understand why he must do so. let him release his frustration in a nonviolent way.

but though i was initially disappointed at being criticized an extremist by you, as i consider to think about the matter, i gradually gained a measure of satisfaction from the label. was not jesus an extremist for love? was not amos an extremist for justice? let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like n ever flowing stream. so the question is not whether we will be extremists but what kind of extremists will we be? will we be extremists for late, love? will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice or for the extension of justice? perhaps the south and the nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists. i hope this letter finds you in strong faith. let us all hope that the dark cloud of racial prejudice will

soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will lift from our fear in drenched communities and in some time not so distant that the raid yaint star of love and -- radiant star of love and brotherhood will be across the nation. yours for the cause of peace and brotherhood, signed, martin luther king. so, mr. speaker, on this 50th anniversary of this beautifully written letter, i hope my colleagues will join me on reflecting on its powerful words. letter from a birmingham jail shows us how far we've come and living up to the ideals of justice and equality for all. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois, mr. rush, for five minutes. mr. speaker, ranking

member waxman and i have sent on etters to chairman upton the energy and commerce committee, and chairman whitfield of the energy and power committee. dealing with climate change. mr. speaker, since mr. waxman and i are not able to get the majority on the energy and mmerce committee to act, i take it upon myself to come to the house floor to speak

directly to the american people on why this issue is so the power to hem, the people. mr. speaker, last year, 2012, marked the hottest year ever ecorded in u.s. history. more than 2/3 of our nation of ienced drought, half nation's grazing pastures and up to 30% of the nation's corn crop was in poor condition or in very poor condition. which impacted the price that

for merican people pay their food, for ethanol and for consumer goods for all the american people. mr. speaker, just because some of my colleagues might not like what the science is telling us, it does not mean that they can continue to put their collective heads in the sand and ignore, simply ignore these facts away. these last year -- last year's record droughts, s, serious

pervasive wildfires and widespread flooding proved that there is climate change occurring all around us on a regular basis continually. r. speaker, the majority ignores climate change, not at me of their -- some of our peril, not at a portion of our peril, not at a minority of our peril, but all of our perils of being impacted because the majority's refusal to simply have the scientists come

before the committee of jurisdiction and tell this congress on no uncertain term what is really happening to the world's climate. . speaker, these very same scientists, these experts, these people who have spent and dedicated their lives to understanding climate and climate control and what is happening, these climatologists are waiting, they're willing and they're eager to come before this congress to share their information and their expertise with the members of this congress. mr. speaker, the scientists are sounding the alarms and informing us that we are

reaching a critical tipping as it relates to this very important issue of climate control. mr. speaker, my prayers are for the people of boston. my prayers are for the people in boston, and my prayers are for the american people, all power to the people. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in recess the house returns at noon eastern for work on three bills, including one requiring federal agencies to perform continuous

monitoring of government information systems and conduct regular threat assessments to protect its cyber attacks. live coverage in the house around noon. congress, the 2013 congressional directory is a handy guide for updated listings with each member of the house and senate. details about cabinet members, and the nation's governors -- government members. we take you now live to a look at the white house. we expect within a couple of minutes white house like will be lowered to half staff as this is in response to the bombings yesterday of the boston marathon, bombings that killed -- injured over 150 people and killed three. they indicated it was the most

complex crime scene in the history of boston. we will show the news briefing to you. we will stay here live to wait until the white house like is lowered to half staff.

>> a live look at the white house. we expect within minutes the flood will be lowered to half staff and respect for the victims of the bombing yesterday.

they just issued a proclamation from the white house. the president said a mark of respect for the victims of the senseless acts of violence bypetrated on april 15, 2013 the authority vested in me as president of the united states by the ins to predict constitution and the lighted -- the united states of america i hereby ordered the flag shall be lowered to half staff at the white house and all public grounds and military posts enables patients unable vessels of the federal government in the district of columbia and throughout the united states and territories until sunset april 20, 2013. i also direct the flag shall be flown at half staff for the same length of time at u.s. embassies, consular offices and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and nestle -- naval vessels.

>> within the last couple of minutes the white house is issued a proclamation of for all the flags to be lowered to have stopped and held there for april 20, 2013. we're looking right at the white house looking for the flight to be lowered at the white house. back on capitol hill in a briefing today. called theer ai explosions yesterday a terrorist act of some sort. during the testimony called the bombings yesterday a cruel act of terror. again, this is the white house. looking live here on c-span.

>> live look at the white house. waiting for is the like to be lowered to half staff. the president a short while ago signed a proclamation. in boston this morning a news conference was held with the governor, the ball patrick. here comes the attendant to lower the flag.

>> as you saw, the white house plugging what were to have staff. the president issuing a proclamation calling for flags at half staff through april 20.

this is in respect to the three killed and over 150 injured at the bombings at the boston marathon. the news conference was held just a short while ago with the governor, the special agent in charge, and the mayor. here's a look. coming this for morning. less than 24 hours after yesterday's act of terror we wanted to organize a briefing for do with the information that we have it. the mayor is here. members of the congressional delegation, all of the law enforcement leadership with several people that we want to present to you and take your questions. a couple of things i want to mention at the outset. i told you just read the fbi has of theharge investigation. deslauriersts rick

will speak in a minute. two devices were found yesterday. all of the other parcels have been examined, but there are no unexploded bombs. there were no other explosive devices found. over 150 people were injured yesterday in the blast, some great late. our thoughts go out to all of those injured and killed and to the family and friends. thank thely want to extraordinary personal responders for their extraordinary work yesterday. every single one of them, those that were on site and those that got there promptly thereafter performed beautifully, as have the area hospitals. i have been calling around to the hospitals personally to thank them as well. it is the hope tomorrow we will organize a prayer ceremony to help the community heal.

we do not have details on that yet, but we will provide that when we have them. there was a support center opened yesterday and what we called the castle opposite the park plaza hotel on arlington and stewart street. provided staff to help people cope with this extraordinary event. it will be open from 9:00 until 5:00 or beyond this evening. finally, everyone should expect continued heightened police presence, and everyone should continue to be bitterly present. with that, let me turn it over to the mayor. >> think you, governor.

-- thank you, governor. tragedy was brought to one of our neighbors. this is close to the city of washington. we know our neighbors and grieve for them. we grieve from -- for the little boy. we also want to say we know our heroes also. they are the men and women who wear helmets, the badges. the runners who helped us yesterday during this time of need. as we go together on this issue with law enforcement officials, we have to make sure they stay close together. we got it under control. continuing to work together. and continue to offer a helping hand for individuals that may need it in this very difficult time in our city's history. i say to all of you, i have been the mayor for over 20 years now and have never seen law enforcement pull together, working together to solve our crime as they have, and also people pulling together. everyone.

this is a tragedy, but boston is a strong city. we are a city that will get through this. but the governor said, we've set up our resource center near the castle in the park plaza hotel. that will be there available to give information to individuals. it is open from 9:00-5:00. 504.phone number is 635- --r hot line the 24 hour hotline 617- 635-4500. allow us several hours -- the past several hours we have received calls from all over the world asking about the tragedy and how they can help us. it is a bad day for boston. i think it would pull together we can get through it. we are strong city. a lot of people willing to work

together. as we gather here today with all , we will comels, to the other. governor, mr. mayor. the president of the united states has pledged his full support in all efforts to keep the city safe and find a person who did this and bring them to justice. we did not have to reach out to the president. the president reached out to us. he called the governor, the mayors, the members of the delegation. the president is actively involved in responding. on behalf of the congressional delegation, congressman lynch and all of the members of the delegation. we want to extend our thanks to the first responders, firefighters, police officers, everyone on the scene, including the volunteers who came and helped those in trouble and those who helped to save lives.

fromso want to thank those all around the country and the world whose prayers and thoughts and offers have poured in. we are deeply grateful. as the mayor said, boston will survive. you, governor. deslauriers, k special agent charge. i would like to start by thanking the firefighters, police officers, nurses and doctors. their heroic action saved lives yesterday afternoon. we continue to work with their partners at the boston police department, massachusetts state police and our other agencies. our mission is clear, to bring to justice those responsible for the marathon bombing. the american public wants answers. the citizens of the city of

boston and commonwealth of massachusetts want and deserve answers. this group of dedicated men and women standing before you today pledged to do everything possible to get the answers. this remains a very active investigation. the ongoing investigation goes on. however, there are no known additional threats. we continue to interview various witnesses and process the crime scene, which could take some time. the citizens of massachusetts and the city of boston should affect -- should expect to see the fbi and partners conducting investigative activity in the greater eastern massachusetts and boston area. assistance from the public remains critical in establishing a timeline of events that leads to swift conclusions through strong investigative activity. we commend the public and citizens of boston and the citizens of the commonwealth of massachusetts for the information that has been provided to law enforcement so far and strongly encourage that assistance to continue.

it is paramount to explain the fbi and the role to the extent, the volume of tips we've received in reiterating the resources we provide. we have received a luminous tips over the past 18 hours since the incident. we have will encourage people to contact the hot line with additional tips. working as we speak processing evidence at the crime scene. in may be a crime scene for several days. the fbi is following up on a variety of leads. yourll be interviewing neighbor or yourself in coming days. we encourage you to cooperate. swiftesources allowed for

action that we hope will yield swift results. we will comb through and process all evidence. we're just beginning upon that path. .hank you very much >> i am the acting special agent in charge. we are bringing our explosive specialist here to this scene. certified explosives specialists. we have special agents and canines that are trained for any residue. we have approximately 30 forensic specialists on the

scene. there were rumors that there were seven devices. that is not true. there were some suspect packages that were disrupted. there were two devices that were involved in the incident. we are looking for the public's cooperation. anyhere is any video or photographic evidence. we would like to review any kind of media you have out there. at thisursuing leads time. we ask for your cooperation and your patience.

>> good morning. attorney.. condolencestend my to the victims and those who may still be fighting for their lives. what happened yesterday was a terrible tragedy. how peopleing to see helped each other, rent for the toward tehen blast. to see how people help one another and consoled each other. partsare so many moving

to an investigation like this. i cannot begin to thank everybody involved. just regular citizens that heroes just today. we are bringing all the necessary resources and we will conduct all that we can with our law enforcement partners. all holder it has pledged of the resources from the department to help us and recover from yesterday. i ask for your understanding as we continue to pursue leads and gather evidence and to get to the bottom of food did this and why. to the bottom of who did this.

>> good morning. we're in the process of processing the most complex crime scene we have dealt with in the history of our department. we have secured the perimeter with members of the national guard. we received offers of assistance from chicago, los angeles. units have responded from new york and baltimore. stress that the area around the crime scene was 15 blocks has been reduced to about 12 blocks. to collapseinue that crime scene.

many streetsen as and get people into their buildings as quickly as we can. we expect the scene will go for another two days. people should make alternate plans. any photographs or video you have could be helpful to this investigation. our focus is on processing that evidence. we look forward to bringing in those individuals responsible to justice. thank you. >> good morning. i am the superintendent of the massachusetts state police. there is two or three parts to this investigation.

logistical and presence component of this. you are going to see an enhanced presence from the national guard and from our national partners over the next days and longer. comfort tode some the public who are using transportation centers or going about their business. we are engaged with the police. you'll see more troopers and national guard members. we are doing that for the comfort of the public. it is not to inconvenience anybody. you might see an enhanced

presence at logan airport. seek out tips or information. there has to be hundreds of photographs or videos that were made down at the finish line sittingy and they are out amongst everybody that is watching this event this morning. i would encourage you to bring forward anything. the mayor has given you tip lines. in, i assure you that somebody will follow-up. thank you very much. >> good morning. i am the district attorney here in boston.

what happened yesterday it was an act of cowardice. act of mistakes -- an cowardice cannot be explained or justified. it can only be answered. some of the finest investigators have been working throughout the night to conduct interviews and interviews are legally sound and that the evidence is recovered with the greatest care. police have been acting to make sure of the safety of the city. at this point the loss we have suffered is enormous.

the nurses and medical staff and we can say that more lives were saved. for this we can all give thanks. we will do our best to keep the public and media advised of the progress of our work. our investigators be given the room to do their jobs so the truth can be found and so that justice can be served. moments like this define who we are. has shownof boston its strength and its determination to see justice done. >> we're happy to take questions. we will try to take as many questions as you have.

yeah? [unintelligible] >> the extraordinary cooperation among the law enforcement agencies. we have ane region, unprecedented level of support here and they are working with each other under the leadership of the fbi. that gives me a lot of comfort. anything help you understand the level of complexity of the device or the origin of the material? rickt me turn it over to who think is not going to comment.

>> i cannot comment on that aspect. there is no known in isn't -- imminent, a physical threat right now. i want to put that out right now. about the anything nature of the device -- do you know anything about the nature of the device? >> i will not be able to comment on the nature of the device. who may or may not be in custody right now. david, ice is a key component

and are interviewing witnesses right now. been a lot of talk about photos. >> we are processing a lot of photographic evidence right now. the continued submission of photographic evidence. i cannot comment on specific tips. you tell us about the surveillance cameras in the area? >> commissioner davis can probably speak about surveillance cameras. we're processing the photographic evidence as quickly as we can. that is a priority of the

investigation. >> thank you, rick. to securec protocol all of the video in the area. officers were assigned to go into local establishments and to secure those videos. we are working with the fbi to process that information. it is our intention to go through every frame to determine .ho was in that area difficult to move around copley square. stay?u asking people to >> we want you to live your

life. we want you to be vigilant. t. do have a threa the us a little room in copley square area. we will turn it back over to the business after that evidence is collected. that is a good question. fording any photos you have around the time of the blast. those photostime were taken. as to whene data those photos were taken. those are going to be critical.

toe us as much information help the investigation moved forward. that.is no evidence of >> [unintelligible] was two sweeps that were done. turn up any did not evidence. tore is unrestricted access the race course. people can come and go and bring items out. [unintelligible] they are all victims as far as i know. i'm sorry. no. no, we don't have any

information on that. ies.asualt 176e have a number of casualtis. 176 is the best number that i have. three fatalities. [unintelligible] no one is in custody. no one is in custody. no. [unintelligible]

>> our investigation will not be confined to the city limits of boston. this will be a worldwide investigation. of the go to the ends earth to identify the subject subjects that are responsible for this despicable crime and we will bring them to justice. [unintelligible] comment on that aspect of the investigation. [unintelligible] what i previously said earlier. we're interviewing a variety of witnesses in a variety of locations.

that is the most i can say about that. i cannot comment on that right now. >> did you learn anything from that? >> we have a multitude of resources on the streets right now. they are conducting our investigation as quickly as possible. [unintelligible] out in the street in a variety of areas inside and outside the city of boston. >> no sign of an imminent threat now. >> i was not aware of any threat information prior to the marathon for many unexploded

devices. there is no imminent physical anywhere associated with this investigation. >> last question. [unintelligible] that we have a city that is working together, resilient. we need cooperation from the public. folks out there know that something is going on. this is a resilient city. this is one city that will not mark the city's history. >> thank you. bostonnews conference in

from within the hour with the mayor and a number of officials from massachusetts and boston. live tot to take you the white house in about 10 minutes. the president is expected to make a statement at 11:30 eastern. we'll have live coverage. the house is coming back in at noon eastern. we have the comments of the house speaker, john boehner spoke this morning. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2013] can do not think words

express our sorrow. the house offered a moment of silence and the house continues to pray for the victims and the families. whoive thanks to those helped prevent further loss of life. i have ordered flags at the capitol to be flown at half staff. a terrible day for all americans. we carry on in the american spirit. >> good morning. have our prayers with boston this morning. i woke up with a sense of reminder about how we can be so

vulnerable that the possibility of tragedy occurring is ever real. i woke up with a renewed commitment that we can work together and thank those who came to the rescue of the victims yesterday in boston, but also a sense to hold those accountable of this terrorist attack. all thatn marathon is is good about america. that is the spirit with which all of us want to tackle this latest events that individuals tried to shake america, and we will not let them do wit. >> as our country bound together to pray, when you watch that

photo of the bombing, we cannot forget the spirit of america. you watch those individuals running to those in need. that spirit is going to unite this country. bring them to justice and be able to heal boston and the rest of the country. .> our hearts are heavy today it is so important that we remember those in boston who of lost their lives, the families that have loved ones that are not going to come home. the parents of the child that was killed and many other lives that have been changed forever. to date we show our support and familieskeeping these

in our thoughts and prayers. our resolve is strong. as a country, we willcom come together. we focus on keeping the american people safe here in congress. i know you spoke to the president. what are you asking? >> we want to know who did this and why it was done. we know we are vulnerable. it is talked about just everyday. this is a reminder of how vulnerable we are.

we do not know who perpetrated this or for what reasons. i'm confident we'll get to the bottom of thit. [unintelligible] we can describe it a lot of different ways. it was a terrorist attack of some sort. there's not enough information at this point in time. >> a lot of folks at the white ed thework frustration b lack of information. >> we do not know enough about

it. . have no doubts that we will the president and i had this conversation last evening. i'm confident we'll get to the bottom of this. the fbi hasel enough tools at their disposal? have alleve they will the resources and technology and tools that they need to get to the bottom of tit. thank you, everybody. >> we will take you live surely to the white house. we will follow that with your phone calls. in the meantime, michael

capuano. host: thank you for joining us. guest: i had just gone off a plane. host: what are you learning this morning? much. not otoo we do not need rumors thrown around by public officials.

host: what are you doing today? on top oftry to stay this as best as possible. out of theto stay way. so they can do their investigation. if anybody is responsible and thinking that doing this again. ?ost: is that a possibility .uest: you never know somebody who can do this is an evil person. the almost turn out to be insane. you can understand what would drive someone to kill innocent people. we understand violence is a part

of life. waiting atamilies the finish line to welcome home their family members. these are people that are simply there celebrating their own family's achievement. adequate?security guest: it is like everything else. untrainedo the normal eye was pretty significant. the boston marathon is a long tradition -- >> we will take you live to the white house. on theitano an

attacks in boston. we will protect our citizens and investigate and to respond to this attack. our first thoughts this morning are with the victims and their families and the citizens of boston. it took the lives of others -old boy. an 8-year investigating as an act of terrorism. is time a bomb is used, it an act of terrorism. carry outknow who this attack and why. malevolentact a

individual. that is what we do not know. it will take time to follow every lead and determine what happened. and we willnd out bring them to justice. the american people refuse to be terrorized. what the world saw yesterday were stories of kindness and heroism and love. who kept runners running to the nearest hospitals to give blood. the first responders who ran into the chaos to save lives. the men and women who are still treating the wounded.

the medical students who heard and went in. and the good people of boston who open their homes to the victims of the attack. if you want to know who we are and how we respond to evil, that is sit. we willoming days, pursue every effort to get to the bottom of what happened and we will continue to remain vigilant. we will protect the american people and this is a good time to remember that will have a part to play in alerting authorities if you see something suspicious. p.eak u

leadershipul for the of governor patrick and mayor menino. the people of boston will continue to respond in the same proud way that they have thus far. their fellow americans will be with them. thank you very much. you can expect further briefings as the day goes on. when we have more details, they will be disclosed. we know it was bombs that were set off. they did some severe damage. we don't know who did them. if this was an individual or individuals.

everything else is speculation. as we get more information, we will make sure to keep you posted. .hank you very much, everybody >> president obama speaking to the white house press corps and isaking to the nation, second comments since the conclusion of the boston marathon. people injured. yesterday'st said bombings were an act of terror. he said they do not know the

motive but expecting more briefings throughout the day. we showed you the fbi briefing from boston. we will open up our phone lines to get your thoughts about what you heard from president obama and the reaction for the bombings in general. here are the numbers -- we'll see if we get some tweets. .e'll look at facebook as well susan from florida. >> my husband wondered why there were no dogs at the finish line. fact?we know that for a

they swept the finish line twice. >> i heard that, too. . did not hear about dogs >> with joe from lincoln, illinois -- woodrow. was the weakest statement i have ever heard a president to make. >> what did you want to hear from the president? >> a little resolve. this is going to continue. this is going to get worse. it is ridiculous. we had a presence that would be so much better and forceful.

from chicago. >> it is upsetting to see all these major networks jump the gun and call this terrorism. it is upsetting. reports like homeland security -- if that is what media outlets are assuming. the perpetrators have not been caught. it's kind of silly. see whatunfortunate to happened in boston. it is very upsetting.

>> what about government officials. secretary hagel called it an act of terrorism. that add substance? >> to me, no. they talk about north korea is going to bomb us on wednesday. how can we be trustworthy of government when they have lied so many times. we need the media to ask the tough questions and to investigate this further instead of saying, "this is a foreign enemy." know.not that is why i love c-span. you are neutral.

you are the real media. thank you for your work. >> president obama just completed remarks. we're taking your phone calls and looking on twitter. here's one from roll-call. the white house issued a proclamation from the president calling for flags to be at half staff. our republican

line. >> i heard there was i third bomb recovered yesterday. why would they say that if they were not sure there was a andanism that was a bomb now there were only two? . question that if this attack is going to be something that could be linked to al qaeda or pakistan, are we going to be privileged to that information? to thatgoing to happen half a billion dollars that the president wants to go to a known enemy of the

united states. that is a questionable action on his part. personally i do not know the man. he has done a lot of things that no other president has been able to or seemed to be able to get away with. he made some decisions that question him as the leader of the country that causes somebody to draw our own conclusion by his action. >> the special agent in charge said that there were no additional threats that the fbi had determined.

anthony., surerack obama is making he's getting his facts right. we americans will stand up and fight. the president can only do so much. we should be helping him out as much as we can. died.ear-old boy tell me what state you're calling from? >> illinois. >> thank you for your call. >> these people are bashing the

president. it really gets old. president bush allow the wide sten borders to invest -- exi after 9/11. do we not think killing children in sandy hook is not terrorism? were those children not terrorized? what are these people talking about? this is 12 years later. immigration is all they are talking about. the borderssh left wide open after 9/11! >> the you have president obama just moments ago -- video of

president obama just moments ago. .ere is a tweet president obama meeting at the white house with several senators behind that legislation. .> i just had a comment i know how all the news agencies jump on this kind of thing. i think it might be frightening the children. there is a lot of mothers bill will put their hands over the eyes.en's eyes or it is almost pornographic, if you ask me. we have had a lot of shootings in our schools.

i see this thing coming out as a backdrop for gun legislation. maybe a fear type of thing so that people will be a little bit more inclined to go along with immigration and gun legislation and anything else. i feel bad i didn't think it needs to be sensationalized. >> thank you. jason in atlanta. >> i want to comment on the callers that called in about the president. this is ridiculous. there's a bullet that just died died.re's a boy that just

i mean, com o e on. people need to grow up. people are hurting. this is not the time to talk about politics or what the president is saying. it.ple need to get over .> thank you for the calls capitol. look at the the white house issued a proclamation for flags to half staff. all the briefings we of covered c-far, you can watch them at span.org. we'll bring you briefings as they are available.

the house is coming in in about 12 minutes or so. we will have life house coverage in just a few minutes. we have comments from democrats. tos was -- we will take you a briefing next here on c-span. >> ok. good morning. it is not such a good morning for many people. not just inilies, when they woke up today, it was a far different day than

monday morning. begin by sending our thoughts and prayers to the victims and families after the vicious bombing in boston yesterday. arethoughts and prayers extended to each one of them. we expect that our government will do everything possible to protect us. that is the four must duty of any democratically elected government. we will get to the bottom of this. the president will have the support of every member of congress. we will help the first

responders and the investigators in boston right now and we'll apprehend who is responsible and quickly.tice on ad a good conversation number of subjects including the investigation of the bombing in boston. andiscussed budget matters one piece of legislation that is coming up today, the notion of having security when it comes to the cyberworld and making sure we do everything we can to protect our people and attacks that come through the internet, which can be devastating in many ways.

we know there are people that want to hurt this country. we have to be ready. disaster tolow occur that we did not take the time to prepare for. we look forward to having a bill that protects our interest liberty.y, to civil we cannot move toward a system of government that overrides all those concerns we have as individuals to be protected from an overbearing government. .t is a delicate balance we hope the bill will protect americans and also protect our privacy.

yesterday was important for many reasons. yesterday was the deadline for congress to move forward on the budget. we have heard many people on capitol hill. senatesident and democrats on pushing a budget. done.s get a budget we have yet to see the house majority move forward and name its conferees for a budget conference. we're falling further behind in trying to issue one single budget from the two houses of government. boehner and speaker a republican majority will move forward in naming conferees who

so we can get that done. we are already behind schedule. the first thing they should do is get their house in order and get us moving forward towards a conference. newspe to hear some good coming out of the senate on immigration reform and it bipartisan bill in the house. separate negotiation along the same lines to try to get a bipartisan bill presented by house members on a fixed immigration system. the american people deserve to have a system of immigration that works at the borders and at the worksite.

we beaufort in a rational and sensible way in dealing with the folks that have been working very hard. andeard about the dreamers now it is their country. we have to fix it. we are a sovereign nation. we're looking for it to hearing what the senate has to say. let me turn this over now. >> thank you. in bringing our thoughts and prayers to the people of boston and people all round the world who participated in the boston marathon and to all of us who watched the

images, the horrific act of the bombing. ofharkens back to the events 9/11, to see those stark images take place in boston brought back feelings we had it new york after the attacks on 9/11. we have notew york, always seen eye to eye in baseball. we're now joined together in the shared experience of a small club that i hope it does not grow. whoever was responsible, it is terrorist act. javier making

observations about the cyber bill that we have. that wenizes the threat as a nation are facing and also protecting civil liberties. we are still going through the bill. we're still working through those issues. to senate budget bill came the house yesterday. we ask the speaker to appoint conferees so we can work out some kind of agreement. i join the chair in the hopes that we get comprehensive immigration reform done. things look good. his want to thank is operati

participation as part of the gang of eight. the efforts taking place in the senate. we need to get this done. the american people look and ask, why is it not working for the american people? we have an opportunity to show we can accomplish big missioiss. >> i will take any questions. we ask the member of congress that represented the area of the site of the bombings at the marathon's conclusion. also giveersberger this some additional

information. much is still not known. they give us as much information as they could share with us. [unintelligible] there has been information, not specific information. as maybe you do. thing the congressman pointed out was that to not be a part of the media glut that is going on right now. let law enforcement do the work they need to do. as to who may be responsible for the attacks.

i do not care what the motivation is or who they are. what they did was enact of t ofor -- was an acat or terror. [unintelligible] as one person who was responsible for the initiative that was set up to drive moneys moneys high threat area, that are sent for the purpose of a homeland security need to be done on a judgment basis as to where the threat is highest.

a city like new york, los angeles, boston on the patriot's the resources need to be there. i do think the first responders in boston were incredible. responded demille to the theyial two bombings - responded immediately to the initial two bombings. our hearts go out to boston. it does need to be done on a judgment basis of where the threat really is. that first responders

are being cut. >> all this in our video library at c-span.org. will be in order. the prayer will be raufered by our chaplain, -- offered by our chaplain, father conroy. chaplain conroy: let us pray. eternal god, we give you thanks for giving us another day. as the people's house gathers today, our nation's heart is heavy as once again our domestic tranquility has been shattered by the selfish and violent actions witnessed yesterday near the finish line of the boston marathon. we ask your blessing, lord, on those who died and those who mourn them, those who were physically injured and those who have been emotionally traumatized. we give you thanks for those

many who responded to the injured and to those who kept the order and keep it still. and send your spirit upon whomever perpetrated this bombing and others who might contemplate emulating it. calm their troubled souls, stay their violent hands. may those tasked with investigating this tragedy find success in their work so that justice might be served and peace returned to our nation's communities. may all that is done this day be for your greater honor and glory. amen. the speaker: the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announces to the house his approval thereof. pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1 the journal stands approved. the pledge of allegiance today will be led by the gentleman

from texas, mr. o'rourke. mr. o'rourke: i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the speaker: the chair lays before the house a communication. the clerk: the honorable the speaker, house of representatives, sir, in light of my recent appointment to the house committee on financial services, i hereby resign my position on both the house committee on the judiciary and the house committee on homeland security. signed sincerely, keith rothfus, member of congress. the speaker: without objection, the resignations are accepted. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from washington state rise? >> i send to the desk a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker: the clerk will report the resolution.

the clerk: house resolution 162, resolved, that the following named member be and is hereby elected to the following standing committee of the house of representatives, committee on financial services, mr. rothfus. the speaker: without objection, the resolution is agreed to and the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the chair will entertain up to 15 requests for one-minute speeches on each side of the aisle. for what purpose does the gentlelady from kansas rise? without objection. >> today, i would like to honor sage, a fifth grade student in topeka, kansas, who has brought together her community by helping her classmate, alex white. alex suffers from a neurological condition and rely on a special companion, a service dog named hope until march when hope was killed by a motorist.

she was quite the chick magnet, according to him. sage knew how much he needed hope and she wrote letters sharing his story and sold wristbands that read, always have hope. ms. jenkins: i want to thank sage for herselfless commitment to helping her friend, alex. it's because of young people like alex and sage that even after yesterday's tragedy in hope. we can always have i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new york rise? the gentleman is recognized. mr. higgins: mr. speaker, i ill participate in a symposium on dementia. this event is a reminder that while progress has been made in

understanding alzheimer's, there is still a great deal that must be learned on how to treat to this horrible disease. its disease's origin is not known but whose end is absolutely certain. it's a disease that's touched the many in this chamber, including my own. according to the alzheimer's association, as many as five million americans have alzheimer's disease. with its prevalence expected to increase over the next several decades. we must remember that our budget is not only an accounting statement but also a statement of our values. i urge the rejection of austerity and an increase in the funding we need for medical research to find a cure for diseases like alzheimer's that devastate so many american families. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? ms. johnson: to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. johnson: thank you, mr.

speaker. to art of my ongoing effort protect hard-earned tax dollars to go after waste, fraud and abuse, i introduce h.r. 1502 -- listen up -- the social security disability insurance and unemployment benefits double-dip elimination act of 2013. this bill would stop people from receiving disability at the same time they are receiving unemployment. under current law, a person can receive both disability and unemployment at the same time. this isn't right. just doesn't make sense. i don't know how someone can be able and available to work and also be unable to work because of a disability. i urge my colleagues to support this commonsense bill in order to help make sure the disability program is there for those who truly cannot work. president obama also included a similar proposal in his budget,

and i look forward to working with the administration to get this bill signed into law. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in support of immigration reform. i wanted to take a moment to read an excerpt from a letter i received from father shawn carroll, a res. wit priest, from arizona. he writes, i have been working men, ported mige rent women and children along the u.s. border with mexico. these past four years i've witnessed their brokenness. mr. vargas: i listened to a father deported away from his children in north dakota. i have been present with the son seeking to be reunited with his mother in central california. i know god calls us not to ppress the widow, the stranger

and yet i have witnessed to how e make widows out of migrant husbands. and i am aware of how we turn .s. children into orphans by deporting their parents and placing them into foster way. and the person seeking to look for a better life. what would happen if we remember the moments that we were in exile -- exodus, the times we felt like strangers and to recall how god had led us through those experiences in life? thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, we saw yet another sickening act of terror

yesterday in boston. mr. johnson: it was a grim reminder that there is evil in the world. there are those with dark hearts and twisted ideologies bent on killing americans because of who we are and the values we hold dear. early reports indicate the bombs were packed with metal ball bearings to inflict maximum carnage on the innocent. one of the innocent was an 8-year-old boy, found dead among the smoke, confusion and blood. 8 years old. as we track down the killer or killers, let us pray for the victims and their families and let us resolve to never take the freedoms we enjoy as americans for granted, never take the service of those who protect our freedoms for granted, never forget those who've made the ultimate sacrifice and to never understatement the lengths to which -- underestimate the lengths to which america's enemies will go to do us harm.

mr. speaker, enemies should never, ever underestimate america's resolve to hold accountable those responsible for this deadly attack, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? without objection, the gentleman from texas is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i rise today to remember william brown the iii, a naval pilot from el paso, texas, who led an exemplified life. he died during a training flight when his prowler airplane crashed. in his 24 years, william accomplished remarkable things and touched many lives with his friendship and kindness. mr. o'rourke: he had a degree in chemistry. his life-long dream was to fly and he earned his wings in may hrks 2012, at the pensacola

naval air station. william was also a gifted musician. he sang in ock pella groups and played the bagpipes. during his time at annapolis, he led the pipes and drums, which toured the u.s. and played in parades, including the st. patrick's day parade in boston. we remember william as someone who lived his dreams and died serving his nation. on behalf of the el paso community, i acknowledge his extraordinary life and service. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from texas is recognized for one minute. mr. speaker, i rise to salute the doolittle raiders. 71 years ago this week, 16 army bombers took off from the flight deck of an aircraft

carrier, u.s.s. hornet. the hornet was spotted by the japanese before their intended launch point. led by colonel doolittle, all 16 bombers were launched knowing that they would not have the fuel, they would crash land in enemy territory. a short four months after pearl harbor, these heroes bombed tokyo and sent a message to the world that america would win world war ii. pilots took off that day, four of them are still alive. they had their reunion last week. i ask my colleagues to support h.r. 1209, which will give a congressional gold medal to the doolittle raiders and give them one final honor before their final flight home. i yield back the balance of my

time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from nevada rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one inute. mr. horsford: thank you, mr. speaker. yesterday was a tragic day, and our thoughts and prayers for those who lost their lives or injured during the boston marathon as well as the families and friends of those affected. the character of our country was reflected in the boston police and firefighters, the first responders, the nurses and the medical providers. the people donating blood, the residents offering shelter and care, the thousands praying for healing and everyone opening their doors in boston to care for those in need. today, we are all bostonians. there are no words to console those who have lost loved ones, but congress will assist those in boston and in massachusetts

in any way possible. as we await answers, we will continue to make emergency preparedness, responsiveness and caring for those in need a priority. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from indiana rise? >> mr. speaker, i request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i rise on behalf of indiana's con fregsal district to express our condolences to those in boston. our thoughts and prayers are with those who were killed and maimed by this unspeakable horror. we don't yet know who turned what should have been a day of triumph into a day of tragedy but those affected should know

their government won't rest until the responsible are brought to justice. mr. messer: may god bless the victims, comfort their families and continue to watch over the united states of america. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the entlewoman from ohio rise? without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for ne minute. mrs. beatty: i would like to thank my fellow ohioans for the designation of the charles young buffalo soldiers national monument in the great state of ohio. it reck newses the legacy of charles young and the proud tra decision of african-americans in our military over the last nearly 150 years. i join my good friend, marsha bayless, mayor of zenia, ohio,

who is in d.c. today, because we believe it is a great honor for our community that the home of this outstanding american, the first african-american to reach the rank of colonel, be recognized and honored. i urge the house to whole heart tchi support the president's efforts to preserve the american heritage through the antiquities act. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from montana rise? mr. daines: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. daines: i rise to express my concern and opposition to legislation introduced today in the house of representatives by representatives king and thompson this bill which mirrors a recent senate proposal to expand background checks, does little to address the underlying problems behind violent crimes. as thousands of montanans have

expressed to me, restricting the rights of law-abiding citizens is the wrong approach. as a fifth generation montanan and lifelong sportsman, i'm deeply committed to protecting the rights that thousands of montanans exercise every day. we recognize the second amendment is not about hunt, it is about freedom. that's why i call on my colleagues to block any proposal that threatens the second amendment and i will continue to oppose any bill that threatens the freedom of montanans. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from new hampshire ise? without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for ne minute. ms. kuster: in the wake of what happened in boston, i come to

the floor with a heavy heart. we'll remember how a cowardly act of violence shattered a beautiful boston day but we'll also remember the extraordinary heroism we saw in boston yesterday. in the immediate aftermath of the explosion, when every human instinct tells you to seek safety and run away, our fearless first responders ran toward cage, putting themselves in harm's way to save others. in the worst of that moment, we saw the best of america. in tismse crisis, we stick together. we take care of one another, we put the needs of others before our own and no one exemplify this is more than the brave americans who rush to aid the victims of this horrific crime. as law enforcement works to identify those responsible for those cowardly acts, i join all granite staters in sending my thoughts an prayers to the victims, their families and the entire city of bovement i yield

back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields pack. for what purpose does the entleman from oregon rise? mr. walden: i rise to express my deepest sympathy to the vims of the terrorism in boston. scripture tells us, blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforteded. our prayers go to those who lost loved ones and to the injured so they may be comforted. our thanks go to the first responders and good samaritans who assisted victims yesterday. that's what americans do, help their fellow men and women in time of need. that's a common bond that unites us. boston is the workplace of the american revolution, the cradle of revolution that spirit of free tom lives on in us and brings us closer together in our depreef. as meshes we will care for the victims and their families.

we will ensure that justice is done for those behind the cowardly attacks and we will emerge as a nation stronger than ever before. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from hawaii rise? without objection the gentlewoman is recognized for ne minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. we have overlooked a critical aspect of immigration reform, family reunification. family reunification has arbitrary caps and major back logs. the caps are 114,000 per country and most countries have 10 years of backlog. they are working on 2003 applicants. ms. hanabusa: but there is one country with a greater rate,

the philippines. filipino world war ii veterans were promised full rights for fighting with us, after the war, there was a rescission act that took away that promise. in 1990, we made good on the process but we are processing 1989 applicants to reunify these families. many can't travel anymore. many can't wait. families are critical to the success of this country, small businesses are built with families, values of unity, caring for elders, we must keep our promise. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia rise? >> ski unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. cantor: on a day meant to celebrate patriots' freedom and personal strength, we witnessed terror and tragedy. my prayers remain with the victims and everyone in boston. i'm grateful for the first

responders, medical professionals and fellow citizens who respond sod heroically. we don't know yet who is responsible for this terrorist attack. the united states golvet must and will use all tools at its disposal to track down the perpetrators and hold them accountable. this vicious act of terror cannot stand. and we must remain committed to the task of combating the scourge of terrorism no matter where it raises its ugly head. the boston marathon is a symbol of so much of what is great about america. it honors personal fortitude and perseverance. let it continue to be a symbol of fortitude and perseverance for boston and for our entire nation. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from texas rise?

ms. jackson lee: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. jackson lee: i have been on this floor yesterday and today, earlier this morning, to offer my sympathy to those who lost their lives and suffered in boston and say that we are united with them. this congress now is proceeding on important business and i offer to my colleagues we cannot wait to pass legislation on gun safety and gun violence prevention. homicide is the second leading cause of death for young people ages 15 to 24, homicide is the leading cause of death for many minorities in this country. 82.8% of those who are young people are killed with a firearm. every 30 minutes, a child or teenager in america is injured by a gun. every three hours and 15 minutes a child or teenager loses their life to a firearm. in 2010, 82 children under 5

years of age lost their lives due to guns. we must respond. i've introduced h.r. 56 which indicates prevention or a system to prevent children having access to guns, children who have accidentally shot themselves, shot their parents, because the guns have been accessible because we as adults have not been responsible. as we work across the houses, it is important to pass gun violence prevention legislation and do it now. it does not violate the second amendment. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. smith: mr. speaker, it's three strikes and you're out for the senate's immigration proposal. first it legalizes almost everyone in the country illegally before the border is secured. this of course will encourage even more illegal immigration. second, it puts the interest of

foreign workers aed of the interest of american workers. the immigration plan allows millions of illegal immigrants to compete with american workers, driving down their wages. and third, it treats illegal immigrants better than those who have played by the rules and waited their turn in line to come into the united states. illegal immigrants get legal status immediately. the law-abiding, well, they just have to continue waiting. i don't think the american people are going to give the senate another turn at-bat. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. the indebt ness of the united states is reaching $17 trillion. mr. mica: just a few weeks ago, europe, the entire world,

americans shuddered when they saw in cyprus what took place. imagine going to the bank and having the door close. imagine putting your a.t.m. card in and not being able to get funds. imagine being restricted to taking $300 a day. what happened in cyprus can happen in the united states. remember also accounts for people who worked hard and invested and put their accounts and money away, they came in and if you had $100,000, the government skimmed off the top. look at president obama's proposal in his budget. look at his restrictions and also taxing and taking from those who retired. the same thing can happen in america that's happened in other countries. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman tees -- the

gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> i rise today to urge my colleagues to support the p.o.w.-m.i.a. accounting and recovery support act of 2013. mr. brady: it's a task force within the expect of defense with a mission to account for prisoners of war or those missing in action -- mr. thompson: it's part of a commitment we have made to these american heroes along with families and loved ones seeking closure. the pentagon recently announced plans to furlough as many as 800,000 federal civilian workers under the budget control act. these workers will be required to take 14 unpaid days off between now and october. as a result, jpac employees will have to take at least one furlough day a week with no exceptions this will

significantly impact their accounting recovery teams which are deployed on operations that last between 35 and 45 days. the p.o.w.-m.i.a. accounting and recovery support act will allow jpac civilian employees to continue these critical missions without unnecessary disruption or delay. i urge my colleagues to join me and representative lynch in supporting this act. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from kansas rise? >> to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> over 100 kansans traveled across the country to take part in the marathon yesterday in bft. we have seen the destruction caused by the cowardly act of violence. what was not cowardly was the instinth of so many first responders, countless spectators, watching their loved ones partake in the

tradition. mr. yoder: cowardly doesn't describe those who passed the finish line after running 26 miles and immediately turned around and ran back to help. those include dr. chris rulte from is a linas, kansas. he finished the race and was 10 yards away from the first explosion he turned around and ran to help the injured the way kansans do, the way so many did. there's still much to determine in regards to details from yesterday and we'll get those anns, i'm sure of it. what is known for certain is the bravery and colonel of the american people and kansans like dr. ruth in times of tragedy like yesterday in boston. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the chair will postpone further proceedings today on motions to suspend the rules on which a recorded vote or the yeas and nays are ordered or on which the vote incurs objection under clause 6 of rule 20.

record votes on postponed questions will be taken later. . for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek rick anything? -- seek recognition? mr. issa: mr. speaker, i move the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1163. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 1163, a bill to amend chapter 35 of title 44, united states code, to revise requirements relating to federal information security, nd for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. issa, and the gentleman from maryland, mr. cummings, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. issa: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent -- i yield myself such time as i may consume and ask unanimous consent that members may have five legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include

extraneous materials on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. issa: thank you, mr. speaker. cybersecurity threats represent one of the most serious national security and economic challenges we face in our nation. whether it's criminal hackers, organized crime, terrorist networks or nation states, our nation is under siege from dangerous cybersecurity threats that grow daily in frequency and sophistication. it is critical that the federal government address cybersecurity threats in a manner that keeps pace with our nation's growing dependence on technology. but current federal law does not adequately address the nature of today's cybersecurity threats. since its enactment in 2002 of the federal information security administration act, it has become the check the box compliance legislation that has

little to do with minimizing cyberthreats, and yet the government accountability office recently found that security incidents among 24 key information increased by 650%, or more than six-fold in the last five years. to address the rising challenge poised by cyberthreats, ranking member cummings and myself introduced in the last congress a bill to re-authorize fizz ma. -- fisma. that bill was introduced anonymously. we introduced legislation, h.r. 1163, the federal information security amendments act of 2013. the bill was voted out of our committee by unanimous vote on march 20. the bill aims to harness the last decade of technology and innovation in securing federal information systems. to enhance the current

framework of securing technology systems, our bill calls for automated and continuous monitoring of government information systems. and i'm going to repeat, automated an continuous monitoring of government information systems. and it ensures that the continuous monitoring finally incorporated regular threat assessments, not just check the box. the bill also reaffirms the role of the office of management and budget with -- excuse me ma -- recognizing that the budgetary leverage of the executive office of the president is necessary to ensure agencies are focused on effective security i.t. systems. mr. speaker, that's particularly significant because i.t. is the backbone of every single large and small agency of the government and only with the power of the president through the office of

management and budget can you in fact ensure that the president has transparency and his authority is respected throughout all these agencies. we can no longer afford the check the box that came out of the first piece of legislation. it wasn't its intent and the six-fold increase in the last five years says it has failed us. well, our bill does not include new requirements, restrictions or mandates on private nonfederal security systems, h.r. 1163 highlights the need for public-private partnerships. as we interface over the public internet, it is critical that the weakest link be prevented. to that extent, this bill has received strong support from cybersecurity experts and industries, including tech america, the information technology industry council and the business software alliance. i'd like to personally thank the ranking member, mr. cummings, for partnering both personally and through his

staff to create a bill that is necessary, timely and accurate to meet the growing threat of cybersecurity, and i encourage all members to support this timely legislation, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from maryland is recognized. mr. cummings: thank you very much, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. cummings: i want to begin by thanking chairman issa for sponsoring this legislation and for making this a truly bipartisan effort. i'm pleased to join the chairman in sponsoring this bill again this congress. also, i thank the other co-sponsors of the bill, including the chairman and the ranking member of the subcommittee on government operations, representatives john mica and gerry connolly and the chairman and the ranking member of the subcommittee on national security, representatives jason

chaffetz and john tierney. last month, the director of national intelligence, james clapper, placed cyberattacks at the top of his list of national security threats. this bill is an important step in congress' response to the cyberthreat. this legislation would ensure that federal agencies use a risk-based approach to defend against cyberattacks and provide tect government information from being compromised by our adversaries. it is important that the federal government set the example by ensuring that its own information is protected. the department of energy was hacked in january, and personal data for hundreds of employees was compromised. we are better than that, mr. speaker, and we can do better.

personal data for more than 100,000 accounts in the thrift savings plans was compromised last year when a contractor's computer was hacked. this bill would shift the federal government to a system of continuous monitoring of information systems, and just this morning, the chairman said in a hearing that we have to do more with less and we have to figure out ways to use technology so we can efficiently and effectively do the things we need to do. and this bill is -- it goes in the right direction which is so important. it would also streamline reporting requirements and ensure that agencies take a smart, risk-based approach to securing networks. this bill would continue to authorize the office of management and budget to set

federal policy for information security. this is important because we need to hold all the agencies accountable for developing appropriate standards and living up to those very standards. o.m.b. is the appropriate entity to be responsible for ensuring that that happens. however, nothing in this bill would prevent the department of homeland security from continuing the great work it is doing to protect our nation against potential cyberattacks. the department has expanded its cybersecurity work force and is working with agencies to establish continuous monitoring. this bill supports what's at work by making clear that agencies must take action to protect their networks rather than just doing routine check-the-box reports as chairman issa just talked about. and so today we have a bipartisan effort. it is a truly bipartisan effort

to address a problem that affects every single american and businesses, every entity of our nation, and that's why it's so good we had all of our subcommittee rankings and chairmen working together. mr. issa working rges making sure this legislation -- working, making sure this legislation got out. i urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this legislation. it is so very, very important. and with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. issa: i yield myself one minute, and i want to associate myself with the ranking member's statements. mr. cummings does make the great point that homeland security is in fact doing a great deal. and if there is an active activity through n.s.a. and other agencies, we applaud

that. a great deal of what this bill re-authorization is intended to do, and working with subcommittee ranking member, mr. connolly, is to recognize there needs to be a public-private partnership. we need our private entities to be as strong as they can so they don't become conduits for espionage and for attacks but also that in fact is the smallest entity of government, the one you don't think much of , the one that may not be high priority that in fact also has to be protected. commerce at our public parks, commerce occurring throughout the federal government and in fact just the records that are so often collected and maintained in places like the veterans administration and so oon, although they may not represent -- and so on, although they may not represent -- i yield myself an additional 30 seconds. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. issa: although they may not recognize an immediate threat

to national security, as a veteran i must tell you that the fact that those records sit there tells all of us, millions of veterans, that we want to have a robust maintenance of cybersecurity, something that under the current statute we believe the boxes being checked but not all that needs to be done is being done. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from maryland. mr. cummings: it gives me great pleasure, mr. speaker, to yield three minutes to a gentleman who has worked very hard on this issue, night and day and has been at the forefront of his efforts, mr. connolly of virginia. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia is recognized for three minutes. mr. connolly: thank you, mr. speaker, and i thank the distinguished ranking member, my friend from maryland, and i also thank the distinguished chairman of the oversight and government reform committee. i proudly join them in co-sponsoring this legislation and rising in strong support of h.r. 1163, the federal information security amendments

act of 2013. the chairman and ranking member of the full committee have worked in a bipartisan fashion to advance this bill to the floor today, and they deserve great credit. h.r. 1163 is desperately needed to address a looming and critical threat to our nation's economic and national security. the u.s. government accountability office testified before our committee in its 2013 high-risk report, the number of cyberincidents has grown exponentially among federal agencies and the private sector. specifically, in the year 2006, they reported 5,503 cyber incidents to the u.s. computer emergency readiness team. six years later, that same number was 48,562, 782% increase in just six years.

according to the government accounting office, cyberattacks involving federal systems and critical infrastructure, mr. speaker, could be devastating to the country. yet, its audits consistently revealed deficiencies in public-private financial and nonfinancial systems. more troubling, despite producing hundreds of recommendations over the past two fiscal years that would address security control deficiencies, the majority of g.a.o.'s recommendat h